Commentary on the CIDI 


After reading every word on their website, we contacted the Center's director, Suzanne Brooks, for more information and guidance.  Ms. Brooks' advice was truly eye-opening. She gave examples of how collecting items for disaster relief has proven to be a waste of time and resources.  She explained the logistical problems associated with transporting, sanitizing, storing and distributing goods in a foreign country.  She enlightened us by warning against disrupting a local economy. She reinforced messages about appropriate donations (www.cidi.org/donate.htm).  We learned that "cash is best."  Ms. Brooks' advice quickly steered our efforts in a different direction.

Afghan Women and Children’s Relief Project 
New York 

 

 

My registering with VITA enabled me to be a short-term volunteer with the Salvation Army as a Water/Sanitation Technician in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch.  That contact led to my being the Program Director for Salvation Army's disaster relief and reconstruction project in Honduras and to my accomplishing some of the most important work I have ever done.  Examples and memories of the positive experiences (and some of the more difficult ones) abound, but perhaps the most concrete, literally, is a bridge built in a collaboration of our operation and several communities as part of our infrastructure program.  After finishing my tenure as Director, the community honored me by naming the bridge Puente Mateo.  VITA's connecting me with the Salvation Army made possible much more than the bridge, both for the beneficiaries and for me.

VITA's friendly staff and referral service led to my being the Program Director for the Salvation Army's Disaster Relief and Reconstruction Project.  My year as Director was very meaningful and productive as I worked with some of the world's most vulnerable people to help them improve their lives.

Registered Volunteer  

 

 

As a development professional, I have been able to utilize the resources of your service (especially SitReps) in my overseas work over the last 5-7 years in Haiti, Bosnia, Georgia and now for Sierra Leone and Turkey, and the 6-country program I coordinate for landmine survivors (funded by UNDP).

I have found your information clear, useful and timely. I have interacted with your staff (especially Suzanne Brooks recently), and found them to be professional and on target in their approach to complex situations – and responding with grace and good humor.

Project Coordinator 
UNDP Landmine Program 
World Rehabilitation Fund 

 

 

When we first spoke in October of 1994, I had already been contacting US government agencies for their guidance and assistance in shipping for over one year. The best information that I received was your name and number. It was a pleasure to find you – someone with an understanding of what we wanted to do and how we could best do it. Much of our ability to successfully transport 100 tons of relief supplies to the civilian population of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we owe to you.

Because Hadassah’s efforts were grass roots collections, I am especially grateful for your personal assistance in defining what items we could and could not send to Bosnia, and securing this information before we actually collected the supplies.

Throughout the drives and the application processes, I was confident in the knowledge that you were "on top of" our applications and that you were shepherding them through all problems and obstacles. Your vast understanding of governmental policy, procedures and budgets, your infinite patience, and your delightful sense of humor make you a joy to work with.

You are a national treasure.

Bosnia Relief Drive Coordinator 
Hadassah 

 

 

Your efforts in our 1995 Bosnia Relief Campaign made all the difference in bringing the campaign to fruition. Your contribution played a vital role in this process an event that will help countless human lives.

Nurses Council Chair 
Hadassah 

 

 

Again, thank you for your kind assistance in this process [of sending medical materials to Albania].  I am confident that with your help you can make a change in the quality of service that is provided to the patients in Albania who are in dire need for modern medicine.

Health for Humanity 

 

When KIIS-FM made the commitment to get involved in this service project, we had no idea of the difficulty we would encounter in procuring the shipment of the mattresses. Your attention and willingness to make this happen was instrumental [in] it coming to fruition. We are very grateful, as I am sure the many thousands of refugees affected by this humanitarian effort will be. I know who is willing and who will put forth the effort to make a difference in helping others in crisis.

You will, and you are to be commended.

Thanks again.

Marketing Coordinator 
KIIS-FM, Los Angeles 

 

 

 

I want to express my deep appreciation for your valuable cooperation and knowledgeable advice on how best [to] handle the generous offers of support that we received from the American people and from the Peruvian Community. Your prompt and experienced counseling helped us to avoid inappropriate in-kind donations and to make it possible a most effective and useful method to alleviate the suffering of our victims. I congratulate you on your mission to provide assistance to Embassies and I wish you all the success in this program.

Ambassador 
Embassy of Peru 
Washington, DC 

 

 

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the assistance which VITA provided to us during the initial emergency phase, and in the months after that. I especially want to express our appreciation for the work of Suzanne Brooks.   Our Emergency Operations Center was in constant contact with Suzanne for several weeks, and she was a wonderful and reliable resource for dealing with an entire myriad of problems.  Most importantly, the work which she and VITA did relieved us of much of the burden of trying to answer questions from private U.S. citizens and organizations and following up on their offers of assistance, freeing up our time to work most productively at the local Honduran level, while also ensuring that these offers were directed to the most urgent needs.

Mission Director 
USAID/Honduras 

 

 

I am proud of IDAC’s successes, and VITA’s support of IDAC programs has been invaluable. Private sector collaboration is now being recognized globally as an integral part of disaster preparedness and response, thanks, in part, to your efforts.

Chairman 
International Disaster Advisory Committee 

 

 

I appreciate you putting so much effort into seeing that I received such comprehensive information so quickly. It was very useful to have it on hand to brief the Senator as to disaster facts and figures over the past few years.

Office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy 
United States Senate  

 

 

I am impressed to receive a thank you note from you, thanking me for volunteering to help in Rwanda. I feel prompted to reply with a compliment.

Your thank you note, received last week, was very unexpected from a government agency. I now understand that you are not a government agency per se. You have demonstrated great commitment, energy and protocol.

Volunteer  

 

 

Thank you for the quick response. I had figured that there were specific needs. We are already supporting the relief effort monetarily and will be donating more funds. The only disaster relief experience we have had in the past was some work with the Red Cross helping with post tornado clean-up and support in Alabama. The [Red Cross] course you mentioned sounds interesting and a good stepping stone. Thank you for your help.

HotLine Caller  

 

 

Thank you again for your help. I am really enjoying my contacts with you and VITA and The Disaster Information Center. [P]lease express my appreciation to all involved for this great service.  Thanks again.

Pastor 
White’s Ferry Road Church of Christ 
World Radio Gospel Broadcasts 

 

 

I do soooooo very much appreciate and understand all the work that you do to enable things to get done and if it were not for you, other works would not be possible. So I really applaud all the unsung heroes of administration, because without the efforts you make, nothing would happen.

CIDI Registrant -- Volunteer with International Medical Corps 
Kosovo 

 

 

Suzanne, Thank you so very much for all of your help with this project. It's often hard to find the right person to talk with when researching something like this, and I feel as though I've hit the jackpot. Not only did I find the right person, but one so helpful and accommodating, and quick! Thanks again -- Now that I know you're there, I'm sure we'll be talking again.

Fand Communications 

 

Many thanks to you both for coming to meet with the Arlington Volunteer Coordinators' Roundtable yesterday.  Your presentation about the Center for International Disaster Information was most informative.  Everyone at the meeting seemed very interested in the information that you provided, and I think now we all have a very good idea of how we can assist if a disaster in another part of the world should occur.  One of the most important things we learned is what not to do.  I think you made an excellent point about how human it is to want to reach out and offer food to people without or clothing to those who have none, but how critical it is to offer what is needed and not just what we think is needed.  Thank you for taking the time to share information with our group.  Because we work with volunteers who are very caring people, we will now be able to help them to appropriately help others in a time of disaster and need.

Coordinator of Volunteers 
Arlington County Volunteer Office 
Arlington, Virginia 

 

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